1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle riding type vehicle such as a three-wheeled automotive vehicle or four-wheeled automotive vehicle, for example, including a right wheel and a left wheel arranged across a vehicle body, and more specifically, to a saddle riding type vehicle which can make turns by leaning the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
A saddle riding type vehicle has heretofore been proposed that has a pair of wheels located at opposite sides of the vehicle body at the front portion and/or rear portion of the vehicle body, and can make turns by leaning the vehicle body. Further, a saddle riding type vehicle has also been proposed that has a mechanism for restricting leaning of the vehicle body (e.g., Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-341577).
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-341577 discloses a conventional three-wheeled automotive vehicle having a vehicle body, a single front wheel and a pair of rear wheels. The vehicle body includes a front vehicle body which supports the front wheel, a rear vehicle body which supports the pair of rear wheels, and a Neidhardt mechanism disposed between the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body. The Neidhardt mechanism connects the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body to be rotatable relative to each other, while applying an elastic force to the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body for returning the front and rear vehicle bodies to an upright posture.
The conventional three-wheeled automotive vehicle further includes a swing lock mechanism for restricting the relative rotation of the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body. The swing lock mechanism is operable through a force generated by a hydraulic disk brake mechanism generated at a time of braking operation. When the rider carries out a braking operation, the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body become incapable of relative rotation, and the vehicle body will stand unassisted.
However, the conventional example with such construction has the following drawbacks.
In the vehicle described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-341577, the vehicle body leans when the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body rotate relative to each other. Therefore, whenever the vehicle body leans, the force acts on the vehicle body to return it to upright posture. That is, an increase in the lean amount of the vehicle body is inhibited by the Neidhardt mechanism. Thus, the vehicle body cannot freely lean, and so the rider cannot travel comfortably.
When the relative rotation of the front vehicle body and the rear vehicle body becomes impossible, a decrease and an increase in the lean amount of the vehicle body are both prohibited. That is, the vehicle body is caused to be incapable of leaning by the swing lock mechanism every time a braking operation is carried out. When the vehicle body becomes incapable of leaning in this way, the rider cannot travel comfortably.